Lavendula stoechas

Is it possible cut Lavenders back to harshly? If so I think I may have done so. I have a Lavendula stoechas which is only in its second year but was getting a bit leggy so I cut it hard back a couple of weeks ago. There are no signs of regrowth and I wonder now if I've overdone it. Any advice please?

 

You are not supposed to cut them back into old wood, so depends on how harsh you have been, however I did hear somewhere recentrly (may be gardeners question time) that if you did cut them back too much you could throw the whole thing into a dustbin, cover it with compost and if you left it then every shoot would make a new plant. Noever done it, so don't know.

Lavenders do have a limited life span, so it may have been comming to the end of its days. we dug up our lavender hedge as we found we were having to replace it every 7 years od so. Don't be too dissapointed, and you never know you j=may be OK.

 

The way I've heard it is that you cover them over with earth, and the new shoots will start. It would depend on where you had your lavendar whether you would want to do this, tho'! There is some advice about this sort of thing written by Rossco - but I can't remember which thread. It started off about sowing lavendar seeds, so if you did a search on that, I'm sure you'd find it! He called it mound layering.

 

Cutting back a couple of weeks ago is not good, its best to trim after flowering, but there's still time for something to happen.
Spring seems to be crawling along this year. :rolleyes:

 

I wouldn't give up on them yet Lenten Rose. Some of my lavenders have yet to start into growth again after that long cold spell. You should see some sign of growth over the next four weeks - and hopefully they will survive the close hair cut.